PFC Chapter 313 What... what's going on?
Chapter 313 What... what's going on?
The two looked at each other for a moment, and finally Li Xiangyang took a deep breath, turned around and walked out the door.
Li Xiaoyun stood at the door, watching her husband's retreating figure, a faint smile appearing on her lips: "I'll wait for you to come back!"
Li Xiangyang turned around and saw his wife's strong smile. He felt a pang of pain in his heart, but he could only wave goodbye.
Instead of going to the village committee immediately, he went straight to Wang Ergou's house.
Standing outside the door, he was filled with guilt.
Just then, the door opened, and Wang Ergou came out carrying his luggage, looking tired, clearly having not slept all night.
"You're here?" Wang Ergou greeted Li Xiangyang with a casual tone, as if he were just going hunting in the mountains.
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Hmm, how's Ma Hongxia?"
"What could I do?" Wang Ergou gave a bitter laugh. "I cried all night and didn't fall asleep until dawn. I sneaked out to avoid another round of tears."
“Ergou,” Li Xiangyang patted his friend on the shoulder, “I really shouldn’t have let you risk your life with me.”
Wang Ergou rolled his eyes at him: "Come on, stop talking nonsense. We're like brothers, aren't we? Besides, I'm not after you, I'm after the town residency and the job."
Li Xiangyang smiled, but felt a surge of emotion in his heart.
The two walked towards the village committee in tacit agreement, neither speaking a word, each lost in their own thoughts.
Director Zhao and others had been waiting for a long time at the village committee.
Upon seeing the two enter, Director Zhao's face lit up with joy: "You've arrived?"
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Yes, Er Gou and I have discussed it and are willing to go for the exploration."
Director Zhao nodded in satisfaction and patted Li Xiangyang on the shoulder: "Good! I knew you guys would go. The equipment is ready. Do you need anything else?"
Zhou Yongnian pulled the two men aside and led them to a table on which various equipment was laid out: a compass, two semi-automatic rifles, two daggers, two high-powered flashlights, two binoculars, two sets of cold-weather clothing, two pairs of military boots, as well as ample dry rations and drinking water.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou exchanged a glance, their faces showing surprise. The abundance of equipment far exceeded their expectations.
"This..." Wang Ergou couldn't help but exclaim, "This is too complete!"
Zhou Yongnian gave a wry smile: "The higher-ups are taking this very seriously and are sparing no effort to find our missing comrades."
"Is there anything else we need?" Director Zhao asked.
Wang Ergou thought for a moment, then tentatively said, "It would be great if we had a few hand grenades."
Everyone was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, instantly lightening the atmosphere considerably.
“You little rascal,” Zhou Yongnian patted Wang Ergou on the shoulder, “you wishful thinking. No way. But…” He pulled two small boxes from his pocket, “These are signal flares. You can fire them in case of danger. We have people on standby down the mountain; they’ll provide immediate support upon seeing the signal.”
Li Xiangyang took the signal flare; it felt heavy, and a sense of security welled up inside him.
With their equipment ready, the two ate a quick bite and then followed Director Zhao and Zhou Yongnian into the jeep, heading towards Forest Farm No. 16.
On the way, Zhou Yongnian gave a detailed account of the missing exploration team: "The exploration team consisted of nine people, all experienced veterans. They went to an undeveloped area about 20 kilometers northeast of Forest Farm No. 16, with the intention of establishing Forest Farm No. 17."
"Is there anything special about that area?" Li Xiangyang asked.
Zhou Yongnian shook his head: "Nothing special, just ordinary mountains and forests. However..." He paused, "There's a local legend that this area is a 'ghost wall' place, where people who go in get lost and can't find their way out."
"Lost their way?" Li Xiangyang frowned. "You mean, those people might be lost?"
“It wasn’t just getting lost,” Director Zhao interjected. “According to the fragmented accounts of the two comrades who returned, they saw ‘things that shouldn’t have been there’ in the mountains, and heard ‘sounds that shouldn’t have been heard.’”
"What is that? What's that sound?" Wang Ergou asked anxiously.
Director Zhao shook his head: "They couldn't explain it clearly, they just kept repeating 'there are ghosts in the mountains,' and then they panicked. The doctor diagnosed it as psychological trauma caused by extreme fright."
Li Xiangyang fell into deep thought. Based on his understanding of the mountains and forests, the so-called "ghost wall" was mostly a disorientation caused by some natural phenomenon, and the "thing that shouldn't have appeared" that the two people saw might be some rare wild animal in the mountains.
However, it is no small matter to cause such panic, or even mental breakdown, of experienced exploration team members.
The car bumped along the way and finally arrived at Forest Farm No. 16 around noon.
A temporary command post has been set up here, with several tents neatly arranged and more than a dozen staff members busy at work.
Director Zhao led the two to a large tent, lifted the curtain, and went inside. Inside was a large table with a detailed map spread out on it.
“This is the exploration team’s route,” a staff member said, pointing to the red line on the map. “They planned to follow this route, survey the area, and then return the same way.”
“But actually, the two comrades we found are here,” he pointed to a point on the map, a full ten kilometers from the planned route, “they have completely deviated from the route, and…”
"And what?" Li Xiangyang asked.
"Moreover, they were heading west, while they should have been heading south, which is the direction back to the forest farm," the staff member explained.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.
Why would experienced exploration team members deviate from the route and go in the wrong direction?
“Now, I need you to proceed along the original route and try to find the seven missing comrades,” Director Zhao said. “If you can’t find them, at least find out what happened to them.”
Li Xiangyang studied the map carefully, memorizing the route: "Understood. We will do our best."
"Remember, safety first," Zhou Yongnian instructed. "If you notice anything unusual, return immediately. If you encounter danger, fire a signal flare to call for help."
The two nodded and checked their equipment to make sure everything was in good working order.
After lunch, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou, carrying their packs, headed along the exploration team's original route.
The road conditions were relatively good at first, but as we went deeper, the mountain road became increasingly rugged and difficult to travel.
After traveling for about two hours, the two arrived at a valley surrounded by mountains and dense trees. The sunlight was blocked by layers of leaves, with only scattered spots of light falling on the ground.
“This place,” Wang Ergou looked around and whispered, “feels a bit strange.”
Li Xiangyang also noticed the abnormality. Although it was still daytime, the valley was unusually quiet, without even the sound of birds chirping, as if all living things had avoided this place.
“Be careful,” Li Xiangyang said in a low voice, “According to the map, the exploration team should have passed through here before heading north.”
The two moved forward cautiously, observing every detail of their surroundings with vigilance.
Suddenly, Li Xiangyang stopped and bent down to pick something up.
"What did you find?" Wang Ergou asked, leaning closer.
"The compass indicates they encountered danger here and were forced to flee."
Li Xiangyang opened his hand, revealing a broken compass in his palm.
Wang Ergou took a closer look, and his brows furrowed instantly. "How did this thing break like this? Can it still be used?"
As he spoke, he took the compass from Li Xiangyang and fiddled with it for a few moments.
Even though the compass was broken and tattered, as Wang Ergou fiddled with it, the needle shook uncontrollably as if possessed.
"What...what's going on?" Wang Ergou stared in astonishment at the wildly spinning pointer in his hand, his voice trembling involuntarily.